If he can play like that--hes somewhat tough to replace OR if traded Id have to get a nice asset back. He wont be coming in hurt this year(knock on wood) or suspended(knock on wood) so lets hope he can pick up where he left off.

newyorknewyork wrote:He is going to be motivated to play his ass off this yr so he can opt out and collect. The triangle can get him some easy looks at the basket and he is one of the best catch and shoot players in the league. Calderon, Smith, Melo are 3 of the best catch and shoot players in the league as a matter of fact and can really light it up from 3.

His maturity issues, off the court distractions, on the court antics, failure to produce in the play offs, and health concerns simply don't help him
Yes he can be one of the better shooters in the entire league but he has shot selection issues, unlike Tim Hardaway JR who can still grow/learn from his mistakes, and is also a very good catch and shoot SG

While Ilyasova is a versatile SF/PF that we lack, is a catch and shooter player that doesn't have these negative issues and drama JR Smith has
Yes, his contract is longer, but his final year is not guaranteed, and this is the perfect time to buy low
Also Bucks could offer Sessions/Edoh in a package with him, even Delfino could provide that catch and shoot or move the bball in a TEAM philosophy
Without our MLE to no longer use, we need to find a way to cut some roster spots and SG is the position that have the most players in
We still have the TPE from the Dallas trade, that we can use NEXT season but with limited time to use it since it has a 1 year expiring date

Some other players that we can still use in our system to its strengths but would need to take a pay cut include

G/F with some PG skills in Evan Turner

two different types of SF/PF

Shawn Marion
Dante Cunningham

Vet min's in the SF category though would be younger and not real vets include

Devin Ebanks
DeAndre Liggons
Wesley Johnson

I think JR Smith will be ready to TRY to be the player he once was prior to his knee injury however, it is also possible he will not have the same physical abilities that allowed him to be that player with his lack of IQ
If he doesn't regain those physical abilities or hurts himself with a major injury, he also would likely not OPT out of his 3rd year player option
Other wise, he likely will opt out of it with players like Jodie Meeks/Ben Gordon and even some other players getting paid, while JR Smith's talents are higher
If he goes this route, we will not get any compensation back, though we could trade him by the deadline instead...

I have a feeling Phil Jackson is looking to use both
2015 1st round draft pick
2018 1st round draft pack
2nd round draft picks at 2018 and after
and
Some other players/asset's to try to get that 2nd ALL STAR caliber player on draft night

We would also have the full 5m + probably could shoot up to closer to 6m by next summer if we went this route to acquire talent

Will we be looking to acquire a MAX talent or go in a different direction by going hard with building a versatile/skilled/deep roster??

I would like to get Dragic somehow in addition to Love but with CA making that type of money, I just don't see how it would actually fit
Though we would be under the cap and somehow acquire them with a multi team trade with trade exemptions and some asset's, rights to players, and 2015 1st rounder *draft rights on draft day*/2018 1st rounder/ 2020 1st rounder
There are also many SF's that are free agents in addition to

Jeff Green/Thad Young/ Deng/Wilson Chandler *has a team option and they seem to be acquiring a lot of players in the same position*
These are the type of SF/PF's preferably one that has range to compliment CA, with the ability to post up and have an all round game with versatility as well, with the ability to DEFEND multiple positions from SG-PF, possibly even PG if needed

Affalo/Rudy Gay
On a low contract, Gereld Green if the price is right

Hickson/Speights/

Asik/MosGoV/Koufos

DeAndre Jordan *not very Phil Jackson like but is one of the better defenders/shot blockers in the league that would not demand close to max salary*

the unlikely,
Parker/Ginobili/Duncan
Lin *for a Raymond Felton like contract, 4-5m*

Lebron James
I would love the possibility of Lebron next season but he would need to take a pay cut and he doesn't seem to like NYK, regardless he is the type of player that could compliment CA and the Triangle
IF HE FORCES his way to NYK like he did to Miami and CA did to Denver, it would be because he wants to play with CA, and we impress him this our system players THIS COMING SEASON with Fisher/Phil Jackson

in 2016/17

Durant/Noah will likely be our targets but with CA's salary it makes it very unlikely, giving us the opportunity to make some moves NEXT year in 2015/16 instead
However, there are still a lot of good players like Battum and Monta Ellis *though will be older and his game is built on his physical abilities*

Vmart wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:21.6 points 4.5 rebounds 2.7 assists efg+55%

If he can play like that--hes somewhat tough to replace OR if traded Id have to get a nice asset back. He wont be coming in hurt this year(knock on wood) or suspended(knock on wood) so lets hope he can pick up where he left off.

That's the problem everything is a knock on wood with this guy.

I actually think this time that it's gonna work out very well. The more I study the Triangle, the more I feel that it's the perfect system for this team. It literally enhances all the strengths this team has and hides the weaknesses. If you as a coach can get your players to truly buy into it, the Triangle can really be a great system for a team without a CP3 or Nash to create for his teammates.

JR should literally thrive in this offense. It creates so many scoring opportunities for a strong and athletic guard like him. He gets good jumpers and more important he can attack the basket with very little in his way. The thing about the Triangle is that the very nature of the Triangle forces the defense to bunch up around the Triangle when it's formed and the Pinch post on the weak side is a two man game with few help defenders to clog your attack of the rim.

It's hard to double against the Triangle, cuz players keep moving and presenting themselves as scoring threats. Since there's very little standing and watching a guard dribble to try and beat the defense, that doesn't allow a defense to just clog the paint and take away your PnR. I must say I think this could really make a huge difference for all the players on this team. It's going to be up to the coaches and the players to perfect their execution of the plays tho. If they do manage to grasp the nuances of the system this team is gonna be a beast to deal with cuz we have too many guys that can score the ball in one on one situations. Melo, JR, STAT, Bargs can all beat their man easily in one on one and this system creates one on one by it's very nature because of the motion, passing and spacing.

BRIGGS wrote:

Vmart wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:21.6 points 4.5 rebounds 2.7 assists efg+55%

If he can play like that--hes somewhat tough to replace OR if traded Id have to get a nice asset back. He wont be coming in hurt this year(knock on wood) or suspended(knock on wood) so lets hope he can pick up where he left off.

That's the problem everything is a knock on wood with this guy.

JR when on straight is a borderline all star caliber 2G with great size. I fully get that he is a headcase at times--hes used up chances--but all in all if we look at his body of work with the Knicks--its pretty good. He failed in the playoffs and he hurt his knee and got suspended. Otherwise youre talking 6th man of year two years ago and player when healthy EOY last year over a 10+ game schedule puts up all star numbers AND we went on a big winning streak against teams who were trying to win. Trading JR right now --youre trading .25 on the dollar--if were going to try and win--we need 20-4-4 47%efg + out of JR. I dont think you will get that out of THJ yet--THJ is really a 6th man energizer scoring type.

47 efg is horrible. He needs his efg to be > 53-54.

newyorknewyork wrote:He is going to be motivated to play his ass off this yr so he can opt out and collect. The triangle can get him some easy looks at the basket and he is one of the best catch and shoot players in the league. Calderon, Smith, Melo are 3 of the best catch and shoot players in the league as a matter of fact and can really light it up from 3.

Plus Hardaway Jr.

VDesai wrote:As inconsistent and as maddening as he is, you can get a lot of value out of 2 yrs/ 12 mil of JR Smith. I have a feeling he will benefit the most from Jax/Fisher's guidance.

CrushAlot wrote:Have to see how he does in stable, structured environment where management and the coach support each other. My guess, if JR has another, I didn't shoot because I was told to pass more game, he will be moved.

Yea I think the entire team was pretty much submarined by Dolan's antics and some really bad circumstances with guys coming back from injury, Tyson's leg break and family issues, Felton's mental distress over family issues etc. It was just a wasted season. This year they can wipe the slate clean and start with a more solid and united front office. The SL team is getting things off to a good start so far. Gotta see how JR and the other vets respond to this as well.